I see headlines in the Welsh papers like this, and the below articles, and then I open the Property papers in those same Welsh papers and I am blown away by the asking prices in Wales. Something does not compute.

Living standards in Wales have gone down further than in almost every country in Europe over the last two years, official figures have revealed.

A comparison of salaries against inflation across the EU between the third quarter of 2010 and the third quarter of 2012 shows that the real value of pay in the UK declined by 3.2%.

Only three of the 27 member states – Greece, -10.3%: Cyprus, -4.6% and Netherlands, -3.8% – did worse.

But, said shadow Welsh secretary Owen Smith, other official figures show that Wales did even worse than the UK as a whole.

One in five people in Wales have skipped a meal because they could not afford to buy food, a new report has found.

Rising food prices at a time of benefits cuts and stagnant wages is causing a crisis where people are eating less and eating less healthily, with warnings the majority of people could be one crisis from going hungry.

One report, which was put together by the Centre for Economics and Business Research on behalf of Kellogg’s, found households in Wales are the second most likely to be in food poverty after Northern Ireland.

The report was put together in conjunction with the Trussell Trust, which runs foodbanks across Wales, offering a three day emergency supply of food to people referred to them by charities and social services after hitting crisis point.

A second report, by research agency Opinion Matters also on behalf of Kellogg’s, found 21% have skipped a meal as a result of a limited food budget.

Trussell Trust Wales network manager Tony Graham said: “What we’re finding on the ground is that more and more people are struggling to pay all their bills and put food on their table.

“There’s very few people who have thousands in their savings.

“The majority live from month to month, you lose your job, you miss a payment or the car breaks down, you’re very quickly in trouble.

The success or failure of your deeds does not add up to the sum of your life. Your spirit cannot be weighed. Judge yourself by the intention of your actions and by the strength you faced the challenges that have stood in your way.

The people closest to you have been trying to tell you that you have made a difference. That you did change things for the better. The Universe is vast and we are so small. There is really only one thing that we can ever truly control - whether we are good or evil.

The political triumph of the American Right has been to advance relentlessly the economic interests of the country's richest people, while emphasising a swath of moral, social and foreign policy issues that motivate and certainly distract middle-class and poor voters.

I see headlines in the Welsh papers like this, and the below articles, and then I open the Property papers in those same Welsh papers and I am blown away by the asking prices in Wales. Something does not compute.

I see headlines in the Welsh papers like this, and the below articles, and then I open the Property papers in those same Welsh papers and I am blown away by the asking prices in Wales. Something does not compute.

It computes for me as - Many believed the crap they saw on telly about property. The actual economic reality is somewhat different, but many can`t or won`t accept that their house is worth much less than they thought?

As for the missed meals, I am very sceptical about all the media pronouncements about food inflation. IMO they fear deflation,and are desperately trying to talk some into the economy. I can honestly say I have never met anyone during this "crisis" who has said they use food banks. I know it is a luxury item, but the fact you can now get a decent single malt in tesco for around £20 screams deflation to me? My last online shop (tesco) came to about £80, admittedly mainly tinned food, but a LOT of stuff.

I can buy that people are missing a meal to pay a stupidly large mortgage? (these are the people kite flying the daft asking prices I think) but I will believe the hyperinflation nonsense when I see it. (Not having a pop at you MT, more the media presentation of "facts")

Wander round Wales a bit and it doesn't look as if many of the women miss meals very often.

Yes, I think the west in general has a long way to go before we know what really missing meals is about? The only really skinny people I see in Edinburgh are junkies (or teenage girls with mental problems about "weight issues")

I see headlines in the Welsh papers like this, and the below articles, and then I open the Property papers in those same Welsh papers and I am blown away by the asking prices in Wales. Something does not compute.

I spent four days in Norwich last week staying with a relative and her boyfriend; relative is on some kind of sickness benefit, lives in mortgaged 3 bed semi, monthly mortgage is peanuts, relative acknowledged if interest rates go up she's screwed (she also mentioned "nothing is selling" in Norwich/Norfolk).

Partner is long term unemployed and has city centre council flat.

Both of them eat once a day, large cooked meal about 6 pm. I was driving them crazy by asking for breakfast and lunch, they don't budget for either as they can't afford it.

I spent four days in Norwich last week staying with a relative and her boyfriend; relative is on some kind of sickness benefit, lives in mortgaged 3 bed semi, monthly mortgage is peanuts, relative acknowledged if interest rates go up she's screwed (she also mentioned "nothing is selling" in Norwich/Norfolk).

Partner is long term unemployed and has city centre council flat.

Both of them eat once a day, large cooked meal about 6 pm. I was driving them crazy by asking for breakfast and lunch, they don't budget for either as they can't afford it.

Forgot to mention, had to secretly sneak into McDonalds at one point I was so hungry!

Hadn't eaten all day, by 4 pm was starving so said I'm just going to visit a shop, nipped into McD's and wolfed down a double cheeseburger to see me through, cheeseburger was suspiciciously small and not very nice!

Maybe they are fans of Durch's fasting thread in Off Topic as well and didn't want to let on they read HPC as well!

I tend not to mention I read HPC to people as most people I know are mortgaged up to the hilt and don't want to hear it!

Relative also told me of a self-employed friend of hers who bought a house with massive mortgage in a small village outside Norwich, work not just dried up but stopped dead, will be in serious trouble in a couple of months (this person is also subsidising parents who are penniless in the US after losing £100k to some scam).